A vision of the World

With decorated pine trees in malls and gardens, easy to ensemble fakes on fliers and boxed on retail-racks, we know Christmas is coming.  Jingle Bells and Mister Snowman over the intercom contribute to the jolly-holly spirit of spending big time and after every trip the heap-up of red, green and golden boxes in front of the fireplace grows.

Between the junk mail are Christmas cards on recycled paper, donations wanted; self stamped envelopes and a pamphlet of World Vision: “Livestock will help the community break the cycle of poverty” with pictures of cows, chicken, goats, pigs and rabbits.

Years ago Ricky invited me to accompany her to visiting a severely abused girl; called Samantha X. Ricky was a journalist for a Christian magazine at the time and at the foster home Ricky interviewed the parents, while I spent time with SX, recovering from chicken pox.  The mother asked me to put some Calamine lotion on the marks, but every stroke resent a shock through little Samantha’s body, as if she’s reminded of being cigarette burnt all over again.

Never in my entire career working with children as such, I’ve seen such expressionless eyes. The blue eyes literally shut down, her spirit smothered by years of maltreatment.  To compensate for her loss, her room had enough toys and apparatus to outfit an entire Kindergarten. Toy companies like Fisher-Price and Lego were so taken by her story that they treated SX with the very best. Every now and then SX  got up from her tricycle, reached for a toy, cautiously pat to see if it’s real and then went back to her position of observing.

Ricky called us to the sitting room where tea was served. The foster mommy asked SX to sing us her song and with a sweet resonance, but stripped from emotion SX followed the parents’ voices: “Jesus loves me yes He do…”

It was my turn being shocked. “Jesus loves this little totally traumatized child? Is it not rude to let her sing this of all songs? “

The foster dad must have read my mind and said something never to forget: “SX must regain her trust in mankind. It’s easier for SX to externalize the message, whilst slowly integrating Love and Trust by realizing the foster parents are the hands and the heart of God.” Many years passed and for all we know SX is a mother today, playing with well cared for children and not thinking back.

Bless the many people and companies reaching out to those suffering a lack of what we consider as basic -- restoring the belief in mankind. I once again open the pamphlet of World Vision and look at the pictures of the children, patting animals. “We donated a stable of animals,” says Judy Clark from Nova Scotia. In front of the fireplace are a Christmas tree with the gold, mirth and incense underneath and inside the stable a donkey.